Discussion: Changes to Task/Strike Force Missions
By
Acid_Reign,
Posted on: 2008-02-14 15:00 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
Maybe it's time for a discussion thread (not this one) about what all needs fixing about task forces/strike forces/trials? The only good thing this change may accomplish is pay attention to other things that need doing. The need to replace people who drop, the unrealistic minimum numbers, the the problems with tfs blueside and shortage redside, and bugs (tech in LRSF, a number in Eden, and elsewhere).
My arcs are constantly shifting, just search for GadgetDon for the latest.
The world beware! I've started a blog
GadgetMania Under Attack: The Digg Lockout
Yay! TFs are now only soloable by tankers, the way virtual gods intended it to be. 
[ QUOTE ]
llotg's are already going for 75 mill redside. 75 mill. you think the average player can afford that? hell, lighthouse, i've been known to farm a bit (not gonna lie), and i can't afford those.
[/ QUOTE ]
here's a hint... then don't!!!
The prices are set by the buyers NOT the sellers. If noone is buying at a given listed price... then guess what... eventually the prices will drop
I don't see this as a beneficial change.
I play this game in ~2 hr chunks with my brothers. This change will hamper our ability to do TFs. If we don't finish in that 2 hour time frame (after recruiting for 15+ minutes). That TF is out 3 people, or if we can't get those people back we run the TF short 1-5 people.
My main on my old account had run all TFs except the shard TFs. Less than half the time we finished with all players.
Shard TFs were especially brutal, I tried one once. 2 people dropped because of time. There would be know way to complete that TF under these changes.
One other problem is the critters based on max level idea. If this stays, please add an option at the start to select a TF level between +1 and max level (if applicable), and lower the max number of people to 6.
As a casual player I had planned on getting my brothers to start some TFs by recruiting the minimum number of players needed to start and then running it with the 3 of us so we could experience this content.
If farming/soft loading is the issue here, maybe a rework of the TFs is the solution. Start with the "problem" TFs and then please go and rework the original TFs to be more fun and with less travel.
Sometimes the solution that requires more work is the right one.
This change is HORRIBLE imo.
sorry, but i'd rather not take 7 hours to do a posi TF with people who I do not care for.
ROLL BACK.
[ QUOTE ]
Funny, all this complaining, and all I really see in this change is "TFs will be played as they were supposed to be played"
[/ QUOTE ]
Hahaha you're funny. My BZ ghosting group did it last night. Our times were worse, but not that much worse. When I get all my purples slotted and/or build a BZ farm build, I'll be turning out similar times to what I was before.
Just so you know. :-)
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe it's time for a discussion thread (not this one) about what all needs fixing about task forces/strike forces/trials? The only good thing this change may accomplish is pay attention to other things that need doing. The need to replace people who drop, the unrealistic minimum numbers, the the problems with tfs blueside and shortage redside, and bugs (tech in LRSF, a number in Eden, and elsewhere).
[/ QUOTE ]
From a PvPers perspective...
- do something with the TF commander so that the most PvE-demanding accolade is not required in PvP. One option would be to switch the bonuses you get from TF Commander and The Atlas Medallion.
- Decrease the number of Pool C recipe drops. Taking out the less desired recipes and putting them in another pool would increase the number of desired recipes and stabalize the market. The cost of some recipes are getting out of hand, and are already unreachable to the casual player. This change will only worsen that.
-- Currently Playing --
Dexter Labrynth (SS/FA Brute)
Former member of Tribute and Victory Reborn
this patch is unacceptable.
[ QUOTE ]
Hmm I don´t like this.
Like others, I have had too many TF´s go bad when 1-2 DC.
Now its just doomed from the start.
Guess its a good time to end the sub, and play WOW until Conan gets released.
Was gonna stop anyways when thats out.
Not a smart move NC soft.
[/ QUOTE ]
YaY for DOOM & GLOOM!!!
Not just from you swartz, but from all the others!!
Seems to me that all the Doom & Gloom over ED turned out to be for nothing since in the end ED didnt destroy this game. So, give it time & see how this change plays out... you might be surprised.
Well, there's a good chance my post will be lost in the general din, but I feel I must say my piece as well.
This is going to kill my TFability. My wife and I can only play for a few hours after the kids go to bed each night. It is very hard for us to get a Task Force together and play the whole thing through at maximum level. Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days, and I'm signed up to be a part of it. I can do this because I know that if I have to drop out for a few missions to do familly stuff or help with my kids, they can carry on without me and I can rejoin as soon as I'm able. Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
This is a change that will seriously hurt the casual gamer, and I'm pretty upset about it. The strength of CoH is it has always been very friendly to me as a part time/casual gamer. I won't run out and cancel my subscription or anything, but it's one more thing that will make me scan other upcoming games.
[ QUOTE ]
Agreed. The month of Febuary seems a giant step back for quality in Co*. Hopefully things will go return to their normally excellent standard next month.
[/ QUOTE ]
So incredibly true.
So, when does it get announced that Jack is back?
Oh, and if we have to endure this kind of reversion to the bad-old-ways of doing things*, could we at least get CuppaJo back as CC as well? This new one no longer inspires any confidence...
[ QUOTE ]
(Honestly) Not to be rude...but...
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks in advance for your understanding and for your continued support.
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't thank in advance for that which will never be there...
[/ QUOTE ]
* I don't see the changes in any way affecting the stated goal and as others have pointed out, this seems inevitably to actually enable and encourage un-desired behaviour (farming) while simultaneously punishing people playing it the way it was likely intended (being able to drop from a TF without crippling the team).
[ QUOTE ]
Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days,
...
Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, why not arrange to complete the TF over a few days?
To echo what others are saying not only does this help the RMT farmers by making it easier for them to farm, but fewer people will be willing to run the SFs. Hence fewer recipes = lower supply but same demand (if not more demand to buy since people will (at least I will) be more willing to buy the recipes than run the crappy SFs with a [censored] PuG) = higher prices. So those who do pay for inf may want to buy more, and those that do buy inf will be better off because they will have a substantially easier time buying IOs.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes all the most recent changes to the game have converted it to City of Farmers,
1) purple recipes tied to mob defeats = best way to get them = farm or PL
2) XP smoothing = reduced the number of drops per level = farm oro to get stuff.
3) XP smoothing = sweeping hazard zones are the best place to level (again, we've come full circle on this one) and while you are sweeping you get to farm.
Lotta really bad ideas here that all point to skipping content and merely farming as the "most efficient way to play the game"
[/ QUOTE ]
And still the most boring.
I'm going to love this change because it's going to give me what I want for once. I get to have cranked up spawns, not for farming, not for drops, but for the joy of the carnage.
All at my own pace with minimal harassment of other players.
Right on.
[/ QUOTE ]
Pretty much what I was thinking. I've always wanted the ability to spawn large maps for my solo characters when I'm in the mood for a challenge.
The only bummer is you still have to harrass a bunch of other people to start it.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days,
...
Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, why not arrange to complete the TF over a few days?
[/ QUOTE ]
Personally I would never do a tf over multiple days, not worth the effort. if i wanted to waste all of my time in a game then i'd play WoW.
[ QUOTE ]
To echo what others are saying not only does this help the RMT farmers by making it easier for them to farm,
[/ QUOTE ]
How does this help RMT Farmers?
I'm not a big fan of the forced teaming aspect of TF's to begin with. Can't we meet halfway somewhere? Maybe lower the requirements for TF's so you can do it with 4 people?
It would make things a great deal easier trying to coordinate 4 people together for X number of hours instead of wasting X number of hours trying to find that 8th person for an unpopular TF.
X = Buttload
[ QUOTE ]
Claiming that this change was simply lost in the process is a cop-out. You guys managed to make a whole seperate patch for this change...
[ QUOTE ]
Fixed issue with Wedding Veil. Previously it was 2-tone (matching one color to the color of the characters hair), and it was opaque.
It is now monocolored, translucent, and not linked to the character's hair color.
[/ QUOTE ]
but arguably the biggest gameplay change in the patch gets "lost".
When it comes to the actual change, like many have said, I am very very against it. THe reason that I play this game is for test PvP. There, the competition is extremely heavy, and builds need to be min/maxd to be able to compete with the best. This means that all toons you want to PvP with need the TF Commander accolade. Ive done all of the TFs many times and I frankly hate doing them. However, I have to for the sake of keeping up with the rest of the crowd. Now that I cant solo them, I cannot even imagine attempting to do them, which means Im done with new toons.
You claim that this change was made for the sake of preventing farming, but that just doesnt make any sense. Casual gamers and non-farmers are going to be doing TFs much less now, because getting together a TF is going to be a massive pain as all players will need to stay on team. Farmers, however, will still be able to farm TFs and still get all of the recipes they want. Because there are less on the market, the price of these recipes will go up, and because people arent doing TFs, the demand will go up. The farmers are going to benefit from this change more then they will be hurt.
This change was made with good intentions, but it is going to cause much more harm then good by a long shot.
[/ QUOTE ]
QFT
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days,
...
Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, why not arrange to complete the TF over a few days?
[/ QUOTE ]
Certain TF's really are set up for multiple day sessions in advance. The fact that this is with your SG, and is planned in advance, suggests to me that it would be possible to do this.
I once took ~2 months to finish a Synapse (split over 3 meetings of a once every 3week group).
@Catwhoorg "Rule of Three - Finale" Arc# 1984
@Mr Falkland Islands"A Nation Goes Rogue" Arc# 2369 "Toasters and Pop Tarts" Arc#116617
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
llotg's are already going for 75 mill redside. 75 mill. you think the average player can afford that? hell, lighthouse, i've been known to farm a bit (not gonna lie), and i can't afford those.
[/ QUOTE ]
here's a hint... then don't!!!
The prices are set by the buyers NOT the sellers. If noone is buying at a given listed price... then guess what... eventually the prices will drop
[/ QUOTE ]
All that means is that people who do farm extensively will be the only people who buy them, and the reduced supply will match that. The price won't fall because the supply won't drive it down.
Not a reasonable stance, IMO, unless the goal is for a truly tiny fraction of the playerbase to benefit from those level-capped drops.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days,
...
Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, why not arrange to complete the TF over a few days?
[/ QUOTE ]
We are doing it over a few days. That said, when my son wakes up in the night with nightmares, or my daughter wets the bed. Or when I have to suddenly run to the drug store for XYZ I have to leave for a chunk of time. There is a reality to being a gamer with a family. The family comes first. If I don't feel like I can react to these minor household emergencies (which when you have a 4 and a 6 year old your house is full of) then i can't do it. Luckily I do have a very understanding Supergroup, the core members have been together for years, so thinking about it I can probably get away with a few absenses. There are some however, who can't. This is just one more hurdle.
...edited to add the last 2 sentences.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days,
...
Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, why not arrange to complete the TF over a few days?
[/ QUOTE ]
We are doing it over a few days. That said, when my son wakes up in the night with nightmares, or my daughter wets the bed. Or when I have to suddenly run to the drug store for XYZ I have to leave for a chunk of time. There is a reality to being a gamer with a family. The family comes first. If I don't feel like I can react to these minor household emergencies (which when you have a 4 and a 6 year old your house is full of) then i can't do it.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, in reality you wouldnt have been able to contribute 100% to your team to begin with?!?
I'm missing something here I'm sure
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Our SG is getting ready to do the Quarterfield TF starting in a few days,
...
Now I'll feel like I can't drop without seriously hurting the team. I'll probably have to say I can't do the TF.
[/ QUOTE ]
So, why not arrange to complete the TF over a few days?
[/ QUOTE ]
That ability has existed since the game's release and I have heard of it being taken advantage of among people I am exposed to in game exactly three times in 45 months.
Not practical. Not enough people approach the content with that mindset. The devs need to acknowledge that, not attempt to more rigorously enforce it nearly 4 years later.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
devs hate soloers.
Hmm I don´t like this.
Like others, I have had too many TF´s go bad when 1-2 DC.
Now its just doomed from the start.
Guess its a good time to end the sub, and play WOW until Conan gets released.
Was gonna stop anyways when thats out.
Not a smart move NC soft.